This invention relates to the transformation and selective inverse transformation of very large digital images that may consist of 1,000,000 or more pixels across, and of a potentially unlimited number of lines in length.
With the introduction of commercial one meter resolution satellites, and the need to mosaic multiple very high resolution images together to gain a regional view, the size of images has increased to the point that terabyte (2 40) and larger digital images are becoming common. The term "digital image"refers to any form of data that can be represented using a two or more dimensional grid. Other types of high volume imagery include seismic surveys and hyperspectal imagery.
The need to transform, compress, transmit and/or store, and then decompress and inversely transform selective areas of such large digital images is an essential requirement in many applications, such as for GIS processing and for reception of imagery from satellites with limited transmission bandwidth and compute power.